Hosting is a lot of work. Hosting someone with food allergies can be downright terrifying. What do you cook? Will they eat it? What if you do something wrong and they get sick or worse?
Honestly, I understand. Before being diagnosed with Celiac I would worry about the same things whenever I would host someone with food allergies. Always wanting to be a good host, I would make sure that I had items they could eat. In retrospect, I did not ask a lot of questions, I would just say, “don’t worry I’ll grab something for you.” Which probably made them worry a lot.
After my Celiac diagnosis I was afforded a new lens for hosting someone with food allergies. Here is the common question I get, “If someone with Celiac is coming to my house, would they prefer I cook for them or would they prefer to order out / go out to eat?”
The honest answer is: ask them. I know it is not a definite answer but it is truly the best one I can give you. Why? Every person with Celiac has a different level of sensitivity to exposure, cross-contact and varying reactions if they are exposed to gluten. Because of this, every person has a different preference.
To break it down a bit further, if you are going to cook for them, these are great things to remember:
- Let them look at the recipe
- Set all the ingredients (and labels) aside of things you have used so they can look at them
- Remember that cross contact can occur from the smallest things. Using the same sugar you cooked cookies with last week, using the same mustard jar you made a sandwich with a few nights ago. These can all have small traces of gluten that can make someone with Celiac very sick.
- Let them make their plate 1st, this limits the chances of cross contact
- If they ask what they can bring, let them choose what it is. This will make them feel more comfortable knowing they have something they are comfortable eating.
If you are ordering out / going out to eat:
- Do your research and present them with the options
- Let them do their own research and get back to you
- Ask others with Celiac for recommendations or use Find Me Gluten Free
- Know that they say no to all of your suggestions and suggest something different
My last piece of advice: do not be offended if they say, “please do not worry about me. I will just bring something for myself”. They are not trying to be rude, they truly appreciate your effort. But bringing food is what makes them the most comfortable.
At the end of the day, do not be afraid, just ask the questions. Those with Celiac will appreciate it and it will make hosting less stressful for you.